Entertainment

There’s never a hair out of place in “Miss Sloane”, a painstakingly slick political thriller from director John Madden about a brilliant lone wolf lobbyist consumed with the win. It’s a wannabe Aaron Sorkin-meets-Shonda Rhimes glimpse into the hollow and cynical world of inside the beltway dealings from first-time screenwriter …

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov 29, (AP): ‘Tis the season for bright, cheery holiday music playing ad nauseam on the radio, in shopping malls and television commercials. But if you’re not feeling the Christmas spirit, there’s still a song for you. Take Elvis’ mournful “Blue Christmas”, released in 1957, which has become …

LOS ANGELES, Nov 28, (RTRS): The box office success of “Moana” confirms Disney’s status atop the pecking order of major studios. It owes its apex predator status to the way it has deftly bolstered and built on the power of its suite of cinematic brands, as well as its ability …

SAKHNIN, Israel, Nov 28, (AFP): Israeli Arab rapper Tamer Nafar’s politically-charged lyrics have sparked the same kind of controversy that may have made his hero Tupac Shakur proud. Nafar, from the pioneering political rap group DAM, has touched a nerve with songs like “Who’s the Terrorist?” skewering what he and …

BEIJING, Nov 28, (AP): Differing Chinese and Western expectations over marriage provided the inspiration for Zhang Mo’s directorial debut, “Suddenly Seventeen”, which she says is about encouraging young women to “explore a little further” before they settle down. The daughter of Chinese cinematic great Zhang Yimou, Zhang said returning to …

TAIPEI, Nov 27, (Agencies): Films from mainland China dominated this year’s Golden Horse Film Awards in Taiwan, considered the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars, with two social dramas scooping up top honours on Saturday. Chinese director Zhang Dalei’s black-and-white film, “The Summer Is Gone”, was the biggest dark horse of …

DUBAI, Nov 27: The 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled its full line-up of 156 films from 55 countries alongside a diverse industry programme for filmmakers …

Dev Patel knows how special a film like “Lion” is. He’s been waiting nearly 8 years, since his breakout in “Slumdog Millionaire”, for a role as substantive and soulful as Saroo Brierley, an Indian man who was lost as a 5-year-old, adopted and raised by Australian parents, and who, 25 …

NEW YORK, Nov 26, (AP): Inside a Brooklyn soundstage, Metallica has a relaxed vibe. The bandmates are making a music video for the single “Now That We’re Dead” from their new album, “Hardwired. To Self-Destruct”. After frontman James Hetfield returns from the all-white set following his bit in front of …

LOS ANGELES, Nov 26, (Agencies): For Susan Olsen, who played youngest Brady girl Cindy on “The Brady Bunch”, the passing of her TV mom, Florence Henderson, is a blow. But she is careful to keep in mind the ones who are really hurting: Henderson’s children. “My heart right now is …